From birth to death, our only assured companion throughout life is the body in which we exist. 

We use it to express who we are, through our voices, our actions, and occasionally through an odd-placed piercing. On the surface, the notion of an external force being given executive control over the most individual and personal aspect of life is absurd, yet bodies have become commodified, and bodily autonomy is facing an ever-increasing stream of barriers. 

Having always lived in Scotland, access to reproductive information and care wasn’t something I thought of often, because I had the privilege of viewing it as a given. It was something I could, if necessary, call my local GP about any time I needed to; additionally, I knew through the NHS I would then receive any and all of the medical help that I needed. It is through positive experiences like these, as well as a deepening knowledge of the global narrative around reproductive freedoms, that my view shifted from seeing my environment as a given to seeing it as a privilege. 

To further myself in this area, which had now become my passion, I undertook a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Diplomacy at the University of Stirling. Taught in partnership with UNITAR, the course gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge on a range of human rights topics, whilst also allowing me to develop my knowledge base within reproductive rights. 

My desire to increase the visibility around this critical human rights issue led me to Wandering Educators, and to becoming their Human Rights and Reproductive Rights Editor. I believe that the ability to make decisions for your own body is a basic human right that we should all be able to enjoy. As such, I have written the series, Policing Bodies is a Human Rights Violation, with the intention of highlighting both the successes and the areas in which reproductive rights can grow. 

Please click through on each photo to read my Human Rights and Reproductive Rights columns: